NFL.com makes bold prediction for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals

NFL.com made a bold prediction this week for former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Adan Schein, an NFL.com contributing columnist, made nine bold predictions for the 2021 NFL season this week.

And one of his predictions centers around Burrow and the Bengals.

Schein predicted that Cincinnati will win more games in 2021 than the Pittsburgh Steelers, their AFC North division rival.

Will Joe Burrow lead the Bengals to a better record than the Steelers?

The Bengals went 4-11-1 in 2020, while the Steelers went 12-4 (which was good enough to win the AFC North).

Predicting Cincinnati to pick up seven or eight wins, while simultaneously predicting the Steelers to win fewer games, is certainly bold.

But that’s how much confidence Schein has in Burrow.

“Joe Burrow took the field at Bengals workouts on Tuesday. That’s all I needed to see,” wrote Schein.

Schein specifically likes the addition of wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase — Burrow’s former LSU teammate who was selected by the Bengals with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“Burrow will hit the ground running with old LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase,” says Schein. “This connection was special in that 2019 national championship run — I can’t wait to see these two make sweet music together once again.”

The NFL can be unpredictable. We’ve seen plenty of teams surprise folks and come out nowhere to exceed expectations in the past.

Why can’t that be the Bengals in 2021?

I definitely wouldn’t put it past Burrow. He has some NFL experience under his belt now. If he’s healthy in 2021 — and all indications are that he will be — the sky could be the limit for Cincinnati.